New York Sexual Harassment Lawyer Blog

A former employee of the television channel BET is suing for sexual harassment in New York Supreme Court, Bronx County.

The suit filed by Tameika Dorman claims she was sexually harassed by a cameraman who made comments about her body and “grabbed his crotch” and moaned when Dorman was on camera.

When Dorman complained to her supervisor and said she would not work with that cameraman again, the suit alleges that nothing was done in response and that despite her protests, she was, in fact, assigned to work with him again.

Dorman also complained to Human Resources and, after an investigation Dorman was fired at a time when she was also five months pregnant.

Sexual harassment and retaliation are prohibited by the New York City Human Rights Law and should not be not be tolerated. If you feel that you may be the victim of sexual harassment or retaliation in the workplace, contact Schwartz & Perry.

Employees of a major international pharmaceutical company were in federal court in New York City this week for the trial of their class action sexual discrimination case filed on behalf of 5,600 employees.

It is anticipated that employee testimony will reveal how management pressured one employee to get an abortion, and that during training sessions, management encouraged women not to become pregnant while working for the company.

Plaintiffs have requested damages of $54 million in back pay, based on evidence that women in sales positions have been receiving an average of $105 less per month than men in comparable jobs.

Duane Reade Inc., the well-known drug store chain that operates over 200 stores in the New York area, will pay $240,000 and furnish other substantial relief to settle a sexual harassment and retaliation lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).

According the lawsuit, Duane Reade unlawfully created, maintained and failed to remedy a hostile work environment at one of its Bronx Stores by subjecting several female employees to sexual and pregnancy harassment. The lawsuit claimed that the store manager, Madiaw Diaw, frequently made vulgar remarks about women’s private parts, sexually propositioned female employees, made lewd comments about their pregnancies and bodies, assigned unfavorable job duties to pregnant employees, and repeatedly grabbed female employees, including grabbing their buttocks. Moreover, employees who complained and filed discrimination charges with the EEOC were retaliated against by being subjected to further harassment by their supervisors.

“This settlement achieves the EEOC’s objectives by providing appropriate relief to the victims of sexual harassment while implementing appropriate measures to prevent this kind of violation in the future,” said Spencer H. Lewis, director of the EEOC’s New York district office. The EEOC sought both money damages as well as improvements in training and other policies.

Duane Reade, Inc. must pay $240,000 to female employees who suffered sexual harassment and pregnancy discrimination while working at the pharmacy.

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”) filed suit against the popular New York City pharmacy on behalf of female employees for creating a hostile and threatening environment. A Duane Reade manager in a Bronx location sexually harassed the women by making inappropriate comments about womens’ private parts, sexually propositioning female employees, making explicit remarks about their pregnancies and bodies, repeatedly touching the female employees and grabbing their buttocks and assigning unfavorable duties to the pregnant employees.

A retaliation claim was also brought by the EEOC on behalf of the female employees because, after they complained about their supervisors’ unlawful behavior, Duane Reade allowed the discrimination to continue instead of remedying the hostile work environment.